Football and politics collide as World Cup kicks off in shadow of war, travel bans

The 2026 World Cup kicks off on Thursday with a record 48 teams vying for the most coveted prize in football and a slew of controversies over ticket prices, geopolitical tensions and visa restrictions imposed by the Trump administration casting a pall over the beautiful game’s quadrennial extravaganza.

This report comes from France 24. The story centres on Football and politics collide as World Cup kicks off in shadow of war, travel bans. Full coverage and background context is available at the original source. Readers seeking more detail on this developing topic are encouraged to follow updates from France 24 and related outlets covering this beat.